Answering the Question "Can You Speak Chinese?"

Be sure to practice your Mandarin Chinese every chance you get. With just a few words and phrases, you can have a simple conversation with a native speaker.

Be sure to practice your Mandarin Chinese every chance you get. With just a few words and phrases, you can have a simple conversation with a native speaker.

Here are a few useful phrases to explain your level of Mandarin and whether you understand or not. Note that there is a difference between understanding spoken Mandarin (听的懂; tīng dé dǒng) and written Chinese (看的懂; kàn dé dǒng) – the difference between understanding the sound (听; tīng) and the sight (看; kàn) of the language.

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HOW TO SAY "CAN YOU" | MANDARIN
Audio clips are marked with ►

LEVEL OF CHINESE
When starting a conversation in Chinese, you may need to explain your level of Mandarin Chinese so that your conversation partner knows what to expect. Here are a few different ways to answer the question: do you speak Chinese?

My pronunciation is not very good.
►Wǒ de fāyīn búshì hěnhǎo.​
(trad) 我的發音不是很好｡
(simp) 我的发音不是很好｡
DOES YOUR FRIEND SPEAK MANDARIN?
If you are with another person, you may be to answer for them if they do not speak Chinese.

I can read Chinese characters, but I can’t write them.
►Wǒ kàn dé dǒng Zhōngwén zì dànshì wǒ bú huì xiě.
(trad) 我看得懂中文字但是我不會寫｡
(simp) 我看得懂中文字但是我不会写｡
DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?
Your conversation partner might check in from time to time to make sure you're understanding everything that is being said. If they are speaking too fast or inaudibly, here are some helpful phrases you can ask.

I don’t understand.
►Wǒ tīng bú dǒng.
(trad) 我聽不懂｡
(simp) 我听不懂｡
ASK FOR HELP
Don't be shy! The best way to learn new words is to ask.

If you're trying to convey an idea in a conversation but find that you can't, ask the person you're talking to if they can give it a try. Then, try and bring up that phrase again and again in future conversations; repetition is good practice for memorization.